PARSHAT Noach - HEY NOACH, NICE BOAT

[TorahZionist]

BS"D

YESHIVAT HARA'AYON HAYEHUDI
Jerusalem, Israel
HaRav Yehuda Kreuser SHLIT"A, Rosh Yeshiva

PARSHAT Noach
3 Marcheshvan 5769/31 October-1 November 2008


HEY NOACH, NICE BOAT

The sun rose in the sky as it has since "time immemorial", another
perfect day, not a cloud on the horizon. "Hey Noach, where's that great
flood that you have been talking about for the longest time", his fellow
neighbours taunted him. "Good thing you got that boat, Noach, looks like
rain",they mocked. Noach himself was starting to have second thoughts; here,
after working for the past 120 years preparing for this day, the day that
the flood was supposed to start, lo and behold - it turns out to be a day
like any other day in "Gothem City". As our rabbis teach us, Noach believed,
yet did not believe, and only entered the ark when the waters started to
rise. In fact, every day during the generation of the Flood was
picture-perfect. Crops from the field would last for 40 years, never did it
rain nor was it cold, but they enjoyed an all-around spring-like
temperature. All this was bestowed upon them by the goodness of Hashem, to
give them the perfect conditions for them to serve Him. Yet they used this
very gift to rebel against G-d.

Hashem even granted them an additional seven days' respite before
bringing the Flood upon the world, that maybe, just maybe this time they
would do teshuva and return to Him. This, too, did not help. Finally, on the
17th of Marhesvan the first cloud appeared on the horizon, small and
insignificant but maybe this would be the wake-up call to return to Hashem
and the world could be spared. Slowly the heavens were filled with dark
clouds, and the first rains began to fall. Slowly at first, as the first
rains were rains of blessings, maybe now that they started to see rain they
would return, and G-d would leave it as is - a rain of blessings.

But they refused to see it as a G-dly sign, even though the warnings of
the past years were now being fulfilled; they went about their "business as
usual". When the rains persisted, instead of returning to Hashem they
gathered at the site of the ark, trying to enter, and when they could not,
they tried to destroy it. Finally, the time to repent was over, the Gates of
Mercy were closed, Noach was taken up into the ark, the door was shut and
the rains quickly turned to acid. The world was lost, all was destroyed.

In spite of the fact that the people of the generation of the Flood were
forewarned for years - an amazing aspect of human nature comes to light -
even as the warnings were being fulfilled, they still continued denying that
this was G-d-sent and acted as if all the events were natural occurrences.

The next generations continued in this folly of seeing everything as a
natural occurrence, instead of being the Hand of G-d. The generation of
Dispersion had a rational explanation for every event that ever occurred;
they stated that once every 1656 years - the time between the Creation and
the Flood - the heavens shake, causing a flood - and to prevent the heavens
from collapsing again, we must take precautions by building supports, and
this tower will be the first. And as G-d had given the generation of the
Flood time and time again chances to repent, so he gave the generation of
the Tower of Babel time to repent, for there was peace and friendship among
them. Still, they did not return to Him and heed His warnings, and so
punishment was meted out to them.

In our day, some 4000 years later, we unfortunately continue down this
path. Far too few really believe that G-d is the all-powerful Mover of
history and Someone Who plays a real part in our daily lives. For many,
religion has become a nice object that we place somewhere on the backburner,
to be taken out at will but not to be taken too seriously.

There is a G-d of history, Who has returned His people, as described by
the prophets, back to their Land. And there is a G-d Who is bringing the
Final Redemption to the world, one way or another. And He does play a daily
part in all our lives. Now is the time to see His handwriting on the wall,
as He turns out the lights in the exiles. Now is not the time - as the
"Wall" comes tumbling down - to say this is just a natural occurrence. And
as the "god of the bear market" falls fast, it is up to us to see G-d's
handwriting on the wall and to grab up this extra time that He has given us
to return to Him and to His land. It is still not too late!

With love of Israel,
Levi Chazen


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